NaruPrinny! Revive the Boss, Dood!

by Nasha Rei-Kun

Within death, Naruto expected the Pure Lands to be a little bit... Better than what he was seeing. It was weird to think that his parents were here but then the now penguin-shaped ninja found himself under the care of an odd man. No, a DEMON. A kind, virtuous, demon, weird. This man gave him a place of employment to pay off his sins, this King Krichevskoy, dood! Naruto x multi.

5. Moving On

~NRK~

Their return to the castle had gained enough fanfare from the triple-heel-face-turned Prinnys they came back with.

"All hail, Lord Laharl!"

"May he live for many years!"

"Don't kill us, dood!"

Naruto snorted in his Prinny form as the others either sweatdropped or laughed nervously.

"My vassals are way too weird," Laharl said with a raised brow before waving it all off. "That's not what we're doing right now! We're holding a castle-wide emergency meeting! Now!" He declared to everyone in the main hub.

Kana's eyes widened while Nakano frowned.

"What happened?" They asked and Clarissa frowned.

"We've come with some worrying information," she said as Draconis rubbed his head. "It's urgent that we get this underway."

The two looked annoyed but nodded, closing up their shops and moving to the middle of the hub as many other servants were called into the area as well.

When all were in attendance, Laharl huffed.

"So, we've learned a bit of stuff ever since handling all of my detractors," he began as several Prinnys, and Archers, looked nervous. "Ever since we beat the shit out of them, we fought Draconis over here, who's from another Netherworld, an Alternate Netherworld."

"Yes," Draconis said, his voice back to normal ever since his copies were defeated. "As I told them, the new things one learns from either their systems, others, or their Netherworlds, it gets added to every being on that Netherworld's planet."

Kana choked while Nakano frowned, looking at his menu.

"... Shit, he's right!" He shouted in disbelief. "... Overload? Subclasses? Evilities?!"

"We know," Kirke said with a frown. "I'm guessing those of us who are nearest to the Prince are receiving it first… but this is getting absurd."

"It did say a year," Draconis said. "That's barely a blip in our years, it's going to be fast."

"W-What do we do with these?" One of the Clerics asked as the other vassals began to murmur. "What does this mean?"

"It means we're going to have to be on the watch out for new enemies," Etna said with a grimace. "These changes are going to change everything. We're lucky to be the first ones finding out," she explained.

"W-We need to get this under control," Flonne said. "I-If we don't, we could lose our home!"

Many paled.

"From now on, there's going to be mandatory training within the Item World!" Laharl declared. "You sad sacks have to shape up or else we're FUCKED!"

"For now, I think it'd be a good idea to have everyone brought up to speed," the Prinny said as he screen-invited everyone in the room. "Check all of your screens! Don't' leave any of it unlooked at! This is important!"

The crowd of vassals murmured as they observed the enormous changes that had been done for them.

"Naruto, Prince Laharl… what is all of this?" Nakano asked with a dropped mouth as Kana nodded. "C-Classes?! Aren't those the Samurai class?!"

"I-It's true… I… I don't understand," the Lady Samurai said with a grimace as she looked at all of her screens. "T-This is too much?!"

"..." Plenair came up to the group and frowned as she prodded Naruto.

"What's up, Plenair?" He asked and she messed with the air for a moment before several things popped out. "... scrolls?" The Prinny blinked as he picked one up.

"... No, those are Bills." Etna frowned as Sardia looked over his head, smushing the human soul's head beneath the weight of her breasts. "Y-You fucking slut! Get off my tool!" She yelled but the Magic Swordsman ignored her.

"Hey, hey, give me my audience," she whispered as she looked at some of the Bills, Naruto's cheeks heating up but his expression resolute. "Come onnnnnnn."

"No, for the love of God! Sardia, you're in this, too! No audience until we get everything solved!"

"E-Eh?!"

"Did you forget already?!"

"Hmph," Etna's eyes narrowed before she picked up several bills to look at them. "... Let's see… What the hell's a Chara World? Magichange? Magichange 2? The hell are those?" The redhead wondered with a frown.

"Those are skills that allow Monster-class demons to become literal weapons and equip themselves to their comrades," Draconis explained and she blinked.

And then she grinned hard as she turned to Naruto.

"Yohooo~"

"... Maybe if we can pass it, Etna," the Prinny said with a huff. "How much Mana does that need?"

She checked. "... Jesus, 3000 Mana?!"

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Nakano said. "If it's useful, it's gonna cost more, that's how the literal world works… Still," he grinned. "If we can do that, maybe we could design weaponry based on Naruto!"

"That seems viable," Kirke said with a flipper on her chin. "Especially since he's clearly an ATK Weapon with INT capabilities."

"Then you'd be a full-on INT Weapon, Kirke!" Flonne said with a giggle as the red Prinny giggled along with her. "I think you'd be a Book, though."

"Hmph, hmph, I wonder if you'd all be able to use our skills if we did equip to you?"

"Sounds like we should focus on that!" Laharl said before Plenair hummed and held another Bill in her hand. "What's that?"

"Increase Mana Gain," she said and Naruto hummed before grinning.

"Perfect!" He said as Sardia hummed on his head, looking at a Bill.

"Huh… I didn't think being a professor was a Class," she said, confusing the group. "See? They've even got these weird Classes like Omnyo Monk or Beastmaster."

"Wait… hold on, these classes aren't ones we had before!" Flonne realized with shock as she looked at another Bill. "Rifle Demons, Wood Golems, so, wait, those aren't Treants?"

"It seems we got a lot more than we expected," Clarissa said as she looked at one particular class. "Medic?" She looked at it with a frown. 'It doesn't give us a rundown of the classes' stats and skills, so we'll have to unlock them first and foremost. Or, wait, do we need to unlock the Dark Assembly?' She wasn't sure.

And wasn't the only one with that question. "Yo, even if we do this, can we even complete these things?" Laharl asked with a frown. "We can't even make use of the damn Classes."

"Well, I'd have said that we could use 'em for grinding… but that's not really worthwhile, for now-dattebayo," Naruto said with crossed flippers. "We've got over 50 damn classes to deal with and then we'll have to choose the right skills out of the masteries… Actually, I want to know something, you all," the Prinny asked the gathered vassals. "Do any of you have the 6-star line of your Class? It'd be nice to know what the endgame skills are."

"Oh, well, me and Kana do," Nakano said as he smiled along with his fellow shopkeeper. "Let's see… sent."

{

Evility:

Super Guts: For every 5% of HP missing, decrease damage taken by 5%. (Max 50%)

}

{

Evility:

Duelist: If the target is the only unit on the field from the opposition, increase damage dealt by 50%.

}

"Those are pretty useful," Clarissa said as she looked at the screen invite. "That said, Kana's is situational or for a final attack."

"It's true," Kana said as she looked at her stats and whistled at the change in them… before blushing as she discreetly chose 'Warrior' as her next set. "Hahahha, yup, I'm a specializer. Though if you think about it, looking at the skills of the Class should give us ideas as to what they're supposed to do, right?"

"That's not wrong," Laharl said with a huff. "That's for later, though, right now. We're gonna move to the Item World. All of you ready up! You're going with one of each of us except Clarissa. She's going with Naruto so he'll use his clones to lead more groups into different items! Understood?!"

"YES, SIR!"

They scattered, leaving Laharl to turn to the group.

"Right now, this is all we can do, right?" He asked unsurely as Draconis crossed his arms with a nod.

"When most of your servants aren't up to par, a rapid power-leveling session is in order," the Alt. Overlord said. "The thing is, we have no frame of reference to how fast this will travel. The fact remains, even if they were going the entire week, all of them sporting levels of 500. You've got to have plans for anything you face."

"He's not wrong," Naruto said before being pat on the head by Kana. "Yes?"

"Can you donate any more fur?" She asked with a shine in her eyes as he nervously laughed.

"Give me 40 minutes?"

"Alright. Well, how about this, then. How much HL have you guys gathered?" She asked and the group hummed.

"Well, we've sold a lot of stuff over the past month or so… collectively, we've got 323, 345 HL," Kirke nodded with a smile. "Naruto, we could probably pool and grab you your clothes."

The white Prinny chuckled. "I rather we don't blow our whole wallet for me. I think getting at least 200 thousand more would be a good idea to split between us."

"Yeah, I want to buy a super-expensive pudding coming up!" Etna said with determination. "It's a whopping 300,000 HL for a case of three! I need my money!"

"I-Is that really worth it-dattebayo?" Naruto asked in disbelief as Kirke blushed a bit.

"A-Ahem, well, the Super Amazing Mega Pudding is known to be one of the most delicious things in the Netherworld, so…" She said with finality as Etna grinned. "... It's a really good pudding."

"Right. So, for now, how about we go through what items we have that we can go into?"

~NRK~

Standing in the Item World of a level 500, Naruto looked out into the 'horizon'.

"This place has gotten us so much strength, I wish there was a way we could better use it," he said.

"How so?" Draconis asked as they watched ten Archers, along with Clarissa, shot arrows up into the sky above a group of five dummies before Nakano led the charge into the enemy's ranks. "Ah… Right, you'll need to learn more about the Item World."

"Tell me about it."

~NRK~

The Item World can increase Items by way of gaining points and spending them on separate Bills than that of the Dark Assembly. These Bills will have an approval rating and you can bribe puppets who will vote for its passing.

All parameters can be increased and you'll see that as a boon. Also, there are special individuals in there besides Innocents who can increase your item's, and even your own, parameters. Bonus beings who can increase your stats, Mana, EXP, and Item Levels.

Continuing on, there are special Rooms that an Item World can contain. Random mystery Rooms, Treasure Rooms which are rooms full of just that, odd rooms such as ones with hot springs, others that can come with vendors, and so much more.

Finally, let me reveal to you the biggest boon in navigating an Item World… BOATS.

Naruto placed the document on one of the picnic tables in the main hub, the others of the 'MC Cast' looking at it sans Etna who'd gone out shopping.

Plenair came over. "The machine has, in fact, been changed," she informed them and Naruto nodded.

"Thanks, Plenair," he said.

"Hmm."

"So, with this, we might even be able to skip the Item World's levels?" Etna said in some shock before wincing. "That doesn't sound dangerous or anything."

"If we jump several tens of floors, we might end up fighting enemies who could very well destroy us with one spell," Clarissa said with a grimace. "Etna is right, that is a dangerous gambit."

"Not wrong… but we have to make use of this before shit gets crazier than usual," Laharl declared. "The issue comes with the Pirate Ship we got. It can travel up 30 floors, Draconis."

"It's one of the weaker ships I have. The Item Sea, that's the newest addition, by the way," he began as Plenair's eyebrow twitched as the Item World Machine's title changed in her 'Help' section. "When you start getting stronger, fighting more powerful items, and Item Kings/Generals/Gods, so on, you'll fight 'pirates'. They'll invade and fight you for the items on that floor. These beings can be weaker or stronger but the higher you go, the more powerful they are."

Plenair took in a deep breath before going back to the Item Sea Machine and coming back moments later. "Stop messing up my things."

"Apologies."

"So, the Item World is now bigger… that's a good idea," Clarissa said with sarcasm. "Still, for now, all we can do is get stronger. Prince Laharl, what exactly do you have planned for your continued Supremacy?"

"... Uh, we're kind of doing it?" Laharl frowned. "Wait, do I have to do more than that?!"

"Not truly… but reminding others, showing them your might, and re-asserting yourself are important factors for an Overlord," Draconis said.

"Well… why not take a little quest?" Etna asked with a grin as she came into the room, a small boy by her side. "Introduce yourself, kid," she said with a kind smile towards the smaller redhead.

"... Wait, Etna, kind, what world am I living in?" Naruto wondered in disbelief.

The kid, as said before, was a redhead, having dark salmon-colored hair, fair skin, and red eyes. Wearing a small thick belt around his neck, he had on a long green shawl with sleeves as well as dark brown shoes.

"Who's this kid?" Laharl asked as Naruto sweatdropped.

"Who are you calling a kid? You're a kid yourself," the boy shot back and Laharl's eyebrow twitched.

"Now, now, he is younger than you, Laharl," Flonne said with a smile as the boy's eyes grew flat.

"Shut it, flat-chest."

"Who are you calling flat?!" Flonne exploded before flinching back and grasping her hands together. "Wait, I mustn't!"

"Okay, calm down, calm down," Naruto said as he came forward, the boy looking at him oddly. "Who are you? What's your name, kid?"

"A Prinny-"

"What's. Your. Name?"

The boy clamped up as Naruto released the pressure, flippers on his hips.

"A-Aramis," the boy stuttered out. "... sir."

Laharl's mouth fell as Flonne stuttered.

Draconis and Clarissa chuckled while Kirke hummed.

"Learn, my prince, presence is very important," she said and Laharl slumped.

"G-Guh."

"So, what can we do Aramis for?" Naruto asked Etna who looked amused but shocked.

"... Well, he lost his pets," she said and the Prinny blinked at her as Laharl almost exploded.

"... Etna, you realize you grin slyly when you're not telling me the whole truth, right?"

"E-Eh?!" She blinked before blushing. "N-No idea what you're talking about."

"Right, Aramis, can you tell me about your 'pets'?"

"Oh, of course!" The boy cheered with manic glee. "My pets, you see, they're all ZOMBIES!"

The group, even Etna, choked at the idea.

"H-Hold on, bud, Z-Zombies?" Naruto asked as he began to sweat. 'Not again, dood!'

"Yu-huh!" The boy agreed and Naruto didn't have the heart to stop him. "My dream is to make the Ultimate Zombie! My best project is my greatest pet!"

"... Right…" Naruto said as he turned to Etna who tugged at her collar nervously. "What. The. Hell?"

"... I may have not had the time to… uh, check 'em out?" She said weakly. "We've been training on and off, I didn't have the time to clarify with him about his pets. I just knew they were supposedly decently strong. Maybe the Prince would get scared a little."

"Oi!" Laharl roared. "This was a prank!?"

"Well, no, but it would have been funny," Etna said with a grin. "But, come on, sure it's… Zombies again but this is for your first mission as an Overlord. Why not?"

"Because we're in a dangerous situation? That searching for a pet would be a literal waste of time?"

"... I mean, you're not…" Etna grimaced and Naruto tilted his head. "Come on…"

"... Alright, I'll handle it. As an extension of Laharl-sama's reach, I, Naruto Uzumaki, am at your service, kid!" The Prinny said with a grin as Etna blinked in confusion.

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? Laharl's right, things are bad right now but it's also true that we can't forget what's going on around us," Naruto said as Laharl huffed. "The thing is… I owe someone for getting me to the castle. Eventually, they're going to come to me for that favor I owe them. I can't be too caught up in myself before they get here. So, this will help," the Prinny said as the boy's eyes shined.

"Yes!" Aramis jumped for joy. "But, uh, how strong could you possibly be? My pets are monsters even among Monsters."

"What level are they?"

"Well, Level 300," Aramis said. "So, it's kind-"

"Oh, that's easy," Naruto said with a chuckle as Aramis looked confused. "Dude, we just fought, like, a thousand demons. All of them were almost stronger than your pets."

"W-Whoa…" Aramis's eyes widened in awe. "Really?!"

"You bet your ass," Laharl said with a big smirk. "And, well, I guess Naruto and Draconis are right. The way things are going, I'll need my reputation to increase as we do our training! So, go forth, my vassal! Become the vessel of my reputation!" He declared as Naruto chuckled before bowing dramatically to his liege.

"As you say, dood," he said with another chuckle as Laharl laughed well and heartily. "Alright, Aramis, take me to your pet."

"Hmph… I'm coming along," Etna said as Aramis smiled. "I am the one who brought him here, after all," she said with a small blush, scratching her cheek with a finger.

"It's nice of you."

"Don't push your luck."

~NRK~

"Wait, so, Salamander's Breath isn't just a weapon and breathing?!" Naruto asked in disbelief as Aramis chuckled.

"Of course, there are all kinds of things that the Netherworld has to offer!" The boy said with excitement. "I'm gonna go and see if I can spot him! Be back!" Aramis said before running off with a big grin.

"He's a good kid," Naruto said with a chuckle as Etna rubbed the back of his head. "And I can tell you're more invested in him than I ever thought, Etna."

"... Hmph, yeah, well…" Etna frowned and Naruto tilted his head at her. "I… used to be just like him… back when I first came upon the castle," she admitted and Naruto's eyes softened. "Don't go soft on me, I'm not weak."

"I never said you were. You know I wouldn't say that," she looked away from him. "Well, while we wait, tell me about it," Etna blinked. "I bet the Boss is the one who really helped you out, right?"

She snorted, crossing her eyes with a bit of red across her cheeks. "For your information… yes, he did," she admitted with a sigh. "The King was so kind, so undemonlike, that I didn't know what to do at first… but the more he showed me kindness, the more I wanted to help him, to have him praise me, to accept me."

"I think he did more than that, honestly," Naruto said with a grin, now in Werefox form, arms crossed. "He's basically like… well, I guess your father-figure," her eyes widened and Etna choked.

"L-Let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

"Etna," Naruto said simply and she wilted a bit, red across her face. "There's nothing wrong with loving someone like family. Hell, it's embarrassing to admit," he began, blushing a bit himself as he chuckled. "But I'm sure Laharl and me consider each other brothers despite how short of a time I've known him."

'Because you're like the King,' Etna thought with a bigger blush. 'You're k-kind, wise, powerful, and worthy of being honored…' She'd not realized that.

No… she'd known for as short of a time as they'd known one another, Naruto wasn't some little demon in a big world.

He was a person who fit in right where he was. A… a true noble demon in her eyes.

"Yo, Etna?" She blinked at the fox's voice, looking to see bright blue eyes right in front of her. "You alright?" Naruto asked her.

Etna blinked before her face reddened moments later. "Y-Yeah! I am! W-Why wouldn't I be?!" She said with as much confidence as she could.

Naruto shrugged before grinning. "Aramis is coming back. Sad to say, I can't really sense Zombies," he admitted as he got up from his crouch, leaving Etna to realize she'd been completely flabbergasted.

'No, no, no, no!' She couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe such a revelation! "Dammit!"

"Ugeh?!"

~NRK~

Rounding up the boy's first pet had been easy. Sure, it'd been mixed in with, like, a hundred other Zombies but a good Shadow Clone application had things going Naruto's way.

As they entered further into the fiery zone, he hummed before Aramis tapped the back of his hand.

"What's up?"

"How'd you turn into a fox?" Aramis asked curiously. "I mean, such a spell that causes true reincarnation without a Dark Assembly seems like it'd be too good to pass up."

"Oh, well, it's not really that," Naruto said, switching from his current form to his Divine Spirit state, shocking the boy. "I'm capable of transforming," he said before going back to his Prinny form. "Geez, fire really is that form's weakness."

"Hmph, that makes sense, most Wind mages are weak to Fire spells," Etna said as they go out of a passage of rising fire.

They found themselves near a large lake of lava with three bridges that led across to a large rock face with multiple platform-like shapes on it.

"Let' see… my second pet is always hiding in spaces like this," Aramis said as he walked forward mindlessly. "Be right back."

"Hmph, he's really courageous," Naruto said as Etna folded her arms behind her head. "So, tell me more. How'd ya meet the Boss-dattebayo?" He asked with a grin, transforming into his windy-like state, and she snorted.

Still, she spoke. "I was teased and bullied for being a commoner," Etna said and he nodded. "... I was a naive kid who only had a single pet help me through the days before meeting him… but, one day, I found him dead," Naruto's eyes widened.

"Etna, I-"

"Nope," she wagged her finger at him and the former blonde frowned. "... Thanks, I guess, I know what you'd say, that's not hard to figure out," Etna said with a bit of a blush. "Besides, I was a naive kid back then, I know better now."

"That still doesn't make it right," Naruto said, obviously, and she grinned.

"I can't say I understood those kinds of words before meeting the King… but, you're right, it's not but that's life," she said and he rubbed the back of his head. "Of course, there are demons who'd never do that kind of shit… if I'm going to give that brat bitch any credit, Laharl certainly wouldn't despite how much of a hardass he pretends he is."

"Hehe," Naruto chuckled. "I guess even you can see the light within him."

"Hmph, he's got quite a way to go before trying to beat his dad in anything," Etna said. "... But, I guess he's making some form of progress. Even denying this, by himself, I get that we're really in a serious situation."

"We are," Naruto said, back in Prinny form which was sweating. "Ha! The way things are going, we're barely at the starting line, that's how bad this is. Laharl's not even at Draconis's level yet and we ended up fighting him. Had Draconis not been so honorable, we'd be fucked."

Etna nodded with a frown as Aramis ran back over to them. "We do need to get stronger, that I agree with… I just don't think we should ignore those who make requests is all," she said and Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah, I get it," he said before nodding to the boy.

"He's in the center with a bunch of gunmen!" Aramis said with joy and the two 'older' demons sweatdropped.

Well… he was certainly enjoying all of this, they guessed.

'... I wonder…' Etna thought as she held her hand to her chest, looking at Naruto's back as he walked forward. 'Had I met YOU back then… w-would things be different between us?'

She grimaced even as her face went red at the idea.

"Stupid Prinny."

~NRK~

Once more, his clones, and lots of Rasengans, made life easier.

Going towards the lower levels, they fought a good few times, Aramis leveling up as they did, before reaching the last level of Salamander's Breath.

"So, this is clearly where your last pet is," Naruto said as a tall being crowned the hill before them, the area around them elevated.

Across from them were two high bridges while a large strip of land was between them, in between all three was lava that fell over the edge they'd climbed.

And, across from them all the way ahead… was the 'pet'.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he burst gold, transforming into his Werefox form.

He retrieved his Silver Daggers, much to Aramis's fascination. "This one seems like a threat," he said.

It was almost twice this form's height, so about 12 feet tall.

"That is my magnum opus!" Aramis said proudly with a grin. "A Zombie composed of numerous powerful parts! The fists of a Dark Karate master. The legs of the fastest demon in the Netherworld! The brain of Mahogany, a famous sorcerer-"

"Wait, go back-"

"The iron body of Hercules and, finally, a horse weiner! He's my most powerful creation!"

Etna choked as that thing crested the hill it was on… before gagging and hiding right behind the horrified Naruto.

"Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope!" She squealed in horror so deep, she hugged the fox from behind. "I am NOT FIGHTING THAT FUCKING THING!"

"I don't fucking want to either!" Naruto shrieked as it lumbered towards them. "Aramis, please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me that thing isn't your pet!"

"..." The boy looked embarrassed. "Is it that bad?"

"YES!" Both 'teens' shouted.

~NRK~

Naruto and Etna gagged over the edge of one of two of the bridges, heads down against the bridge's edge as they spewed all the contents in their stomachs.

"Who knew that one of them accidentally got a Growth spell, that's kind of crazy!" Aramis said with a smile, the last pet zombie back to a normal size and in a large bag in pieces like his brethren. "Thanks a lot, ma'am, sir!"

"U-Ugh, A-Aramis, please, never give your pets such a thing again," Naruto pleaded.

Etna kept vomiting.

"Promise!"

"... Oh, fucking, no women parts either!" Etna shouted before going green and renewing her vomiting license. "Oh, Lord, it's worse in my mind."

"Awwww."

~NRK~

Returning to the castle, Naruto and Etna were sickly-looking, the two going and collapsing into the massage chairs in the hub.

"Uuuuggghhhh."

"Guhhhh."

"Oh, you two are back," Clarissa said with a smile as she entered the room, sporting a new bow. "... I'm assuming things didn't go… well?"

"We got all my pets!" Aramis said with a big grin as the Cleric tapped her cheek in confusion.

"So… mission accomplished?"

"Myyeeemmmahh," Naruto mumbled in Prinny form. "Clarissa, can you cast Espoir and other spells on us? Maybe that'll make the horror go away."

"Mmmmmm," Etna melted into her seat.

"... Very well," the blonde said as she raised her hands.

Casting every form of buff she knew, Clarissa sweatdropped at the two's looks of relief.

"Dammit, I do feel better," Etna said with a grumble, a warm towel over her face, courtesy of Kirke who entered the area. "... Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," the red Prinny said before laying one over Naruto's eyes, who thanked her. "Were his pets really-"

"Yes."

"... I see, I'll make you two some soup."

~NRK~

A week following… Naruto wore a solemn look as the other Prinnies… worked.

They did their jobs, focused, didn't complain, and went so far as to do extra work.

Kirke and Clarissa came upon his sides, one with a familiar solemn look and the other looking confused.

"... I'm confused," the Cleric said, ears twitching a bit. "They've been so… well-behaved recently, for the whole month."

"It's because a red moon is on its way, Clarissa," Kirke said and the humanoid looked confused. "... The Prince likely doesn't know… but the Red Moon is special for Prinnies who have paid off their debts. They're capable of moving on."

Green eyes widened as they snapped to Naruto who crossed his arms as he caught her gaze.

"You do remember, right? I'm literally not capable of going anywhere, I promise," he said and watched she sagged in relief. "Ignoring that, there's still so much I have to do, I couldn't leave you guys like that. I still need to make things right with you, as well."

Clarissa blushed a bit, messing with her fingers. "... Thank you, I mean that."

"I know."

Kirke smiled knowingly before blinking at Naruto's gaze towards her.

She flinched and looked away, Clarissa considering the act before nodding.

"You… what will you do?" She asked and the red Prinny looked down. "I… I don't think it's hard to see, Kirke, but you've probably worked the hardest out of every Prinny here, including Naruto."

"It's true," Naruto said. "But, the thing is, are you going to leave?" He asked and the Prinny looked guilty. "What? No, none of that. I'm glad you could help us to this point. If anyone deserved to be sent to heaven, it'd be you."

"... I…" Her eyes went towards one of the halls… where the King was. "... I don't know."

"... Well, being fair, isn't a Red Moon a recurring instance?" Clarissa suggested and Kirke blinked in confusion. "Is leaving now what you really want to do?"

"... No, it isn't," Kirke said with a small chuckle. "... Still, I do wonder what would happen if Naruto were to try. From what I know, you go to heaven, Naruto. That'd mean, you'd just end up in that part of Celestia."

"... I wonder. Even if you'd have gone… couldn't you just become an angel like Flonne said?" Naruto considered, he and the two unaware of the peeking Flonne behind a corner.

"Really?" She wondered. "... I understand Kirke a bit. She's stuck between her care for the Prince and her own life," Flonne said before blinking.

Then her cheeks reddened. 'Wait, no! I don't know what that's about?! Why would I think that?!' The angel trainee scrambled in embarrassment. "I don't! I don't!"

"Flonne?" Clarissa poked around the corner to look at the frozen angel. "Something wrong?"

"What?! No! Everything's grand! Hahahahahaha!"

"... Very well."

"H-Huee…"

~NRK~

So, come five days later, Naruto, Kirke, Clarissa, and Flonne had expected… something when Laharl gathered the vassals once more for training.

The lack of Prinnies was obvious to anyone who knew how many existed, on the regular… but the only one who seemed to mention anything was Etna.

"No, seriously, am I the only one who's noticed a lack of Prinnies?" She asked as the group stood around their designated table. "Like, this is weird! And music's been going on since this morning!"

Red Moon… oh the big red moon.

Come and take us, back off our wings.

"We'll just grab new ones," Laharl said as he barely paid any attention to it. "Eh, someone probably changed the OST."

This surprised the group, as a whole, as his countenance had grown… seemingly focused and solemn.

"All of you, take the day off! We've got something important to handle!" He declared to the vassals who were… astonished?

They looked so shocked by this development that they just murmured about as Laharl looked at his table.

"We're going somewhere to… oversee something," he said simply, Naruto cupping his chin as he observed the boy.

"... Alright, I get it," he said with a nod as the boy looked vulnerable for a moment. "It's fine, dood, I mean it. Let's make sure they get proper send-offs. Where the hell is Sardia?"

"... Yeah. Also, she's been on my clones like they're an audience for the past two days."

Kirke took several seconds to realize what was happening before going over and patting the boy's arm.

"You'll grow to be great, my Prince, I know it."

He nodded as Etna looked confused while Draconis crossed his arms with a thoughtful look.

"Yes, this is also a big part of being an Overlord," he said before throwing them a thumbs-up. "I'll be returning to my Netherworld for a time. I will return."

"Take it easy, Draconis," Naruto said as the man nodded, vanishing from existence. "Now, let's get on with this!"

Etna's eyebrow twitched as she grew more irritated before Flonne placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"?"

"You'll figure it out when we get there," the angel said, confusing her.

~NRK~

Lunar Snowfield…

"Compared to that other place… this one's so beautiful," Naruto said with his eyes on the horizon. "It's going to take maybe 8 hours, right, Clarissa?"

"Yes," the former Dimensional Transporter said. "Lunar Snowfield… it's a large place. A trek. And most normal demons who come here will need to rise early for any form of round trip."

Laharl's arms were crossed and he walked forward without a word.

"... What's up with him?" Flonne wondered as Naruto smiled before going into fox form and walking after him.

"Let's just follow, yeah?" He said simply as the women were left to consider this. "You know… sometimes, I think he really does get stuff like this… He's just bad at showing it."

With his words, he caught up to their Prince, rubbing his head as they continued on.

"... I… Even if he knows of them, wouldn't he be furious?" Clarissa wondered as Kirke nodded.

"I don't… understand this as much myself," the red Prinny said.

"... Maybe if I knew what this is all about, I'd know something," Etna said and Flonne rubbed the back of her head.

"Well…"

They explained the event that was to take place and the more she heard… Etna's mood seemed to grow more solemn.

"Oh… maybe…" She looked down in thought. "... Maybe I'm wrong about this, I don't really get it myself," Etna lied as easily as she twirled her tail. "But… he probably wants to actually be there for this 'departure'."

Kirke froze as her flippers went slack.

"What do you mean?" Flonne asked in confusion.

"Hmph, let me tell you about someone he really cared about, in the past," the redhead said and Clarissa froze.

"Y-You mean…"

"Yup, the Queen," Etna said with a small smile. "The Queen was… well, she was kind of like you, Flonne," the angel blinked. "A real weirdo who went on and on about 'love', 'kindness', 'friendships', and so on."

"... That's not weird."

"Your mileage may vary," she said as they walked after the males. "The King met her one day and it was love at first sight. Eventually, a few years later, the Prince was born."

"... His birth had been one our Liege created a festival for," Clarissa added on. "I don't think I'd seen him so happy before save for when he'd found our Queen," she said with a soft frown. "But… sometime after."

"The Queen died," Kirke said, back to them. "The Prince… Laharl had been infected by a disease known to not many others. One of vicious intent and irritable methods," she said, flippers curling at the end tightly. "It was a grueling set of years to even stabilize him, to get him to a state where he could so much as talk… and the King couldn't find another cure."

"... Yeah…" Etna said as Flonne's eyes lowered. "The actual cure was the sacrifice of the life of someone who loved him."

"She…"

"Yeah, even when our King tried to fund methods that could work… they all came up with nothing," Etna said. "So, in the end, she sacrificed her life… and that took its toll for over a thousand years," she said with a frown before huffing as she rubbed the back of her head. "But… I guess, in a way, then Naruto came here."

"Huh?" Kirke blinked in confusion. "W-Wait, I know Naruto's… charismatic but the Prince never seemed like he'd changed so deeply… Oh."

"... Yes, I suppose it'd be then wouldn't it?" Clarissa said. "Naruto… for as much as I knew about him, two years ago, was special in ways that never seemed to make sense," she admitted with some embarrassment. "The Prince had never been the type to listen, to pay attention to anything outside of his own interests… and then Naruto fought him, and defeated him, time and time again."

"... Eh?!" Flonne gaped as the others chuckled. "Wait, hold on, how does that help?!"

"Well… Naruto is strong," Etna got out. "I never really got how a Prinny could do that but, hey, it was the fact. The Prince never beat him… hehehehe," she snickered ominously. "It'd be so hilarious watching it."

"Um, well, it was certainly a bit surprising," Clarissa admitted. 'I don't think I recovered until a day later.'

"Wait, so how does that help?!"

"Well, think about it," Etna said with a chuckle. "A Prinny was stronger than him, the Prince never lived it down and he tried again and again to beat Naruto… but he never did. Yet, Naruto never stopped him, not once. At first, I thought it was getting out of doing chores, I know I would have… but, well, after his 200th attempt," Flonne sweatdropped. "The stupid Prinny started spouting lessons each time."

"Fighting skills, philosophy, emotions, creativity, Naruto spoke of numerous topics as they fought, rested, played, and even read. At no point did Naruto stop trying to get through to our Prince… And I guess that took its biggest hold in his mind when Naruto… also sacrificed himself, oh, God, how could I have not…" Kirke realized in horror as Flonne choked and Clarissa frowned.

"Having two of such events happen in such a short amount of time would have traumatized him…" The Cleric realized with a sigh. "... And the Prince, during that time… I don't think I'd ever seen such anger before."

Etna grimaced, ignoring several of her own rampages she'd gone on in the years following Naruto's disappearance.

She patted off the orange slip on her skirt.

"Yet, I'd never seen it aimed at us," Clarissa continued. "He raged, he shouted, our Prince had even destroyed a good bit of the landed in the south… but, not once, had I seen him take it out on any of the vassals before my own seclusion."

"... Naruto had a big influence on him," Flonne said as she watched the two walk ahead, remembering the head rub from earlier.

"He considers him family," Kirke said blatantly. "Naruto to Laharl… He's probably the person who filled that hole the Queen left…"

"Yeah, he probably did," Etna said with a finger scratching her cheek. "Despite everything… the Queen was an amazing person, in hindsight."

"She sounds like she was," Flonne said as Kirke rubbed the back of her head. "Hmm… I guess he wants to actually do this properly. Not getting to do so, twice, with only one having a lucky occurrence probably weighed on his mind."

"It likely did," Clarissa said with a nod. "So, he must see this through."

They all agreed.

As they caught up to the boys, Etna felt a niggling feeling in the back of her mind.

'How'd she know that?'

~NRK~

The day easily changed into night as they passed long white slopes, frosty blue caverns, and over a set of mountain climbs… before they arrived at their 'destination'.

Standing on the crest of a hill, the group were witness to a large number of white orbs floating into the sky.

Their numbers couldn't be measured from sight alone and Naruto's eyes reflected the moons within his Wind Spirit's depths.

'... You guys,' he thought as looked at them all with a small smile. 'Take care, alright.'

"They should," Laharl said with a small grimace, looking away. "..."

Naruto nodded, a hand on the prince's shoulder. 'Not wrong.'

"... Ah, is that…?" Clarissa spoke as the group looked to where she was pointing.

It was a goat-like, skeleton-like, figure with a slight hunchback and wings made of bone.

His horns were decently long and big, coming out at the sides of his head and looking like bull horns. His feet were hooves and his fur white, his only other visible body parts being his aforementioned wings and head while including his hands which clenched around a bony scythe.

Wearing a dark blue suit with red cuffs and a red scarf, his horizontal bar-like eyes looked around as he floated by Prinnies.

Their forms glowed and, of a group of five, four of them shed their suit-like exterior to release their souls while the lone one slumped in defeat, going off to join all the singing Prinnies that they guessed hadn't paid off their debts yet.

"That's the… Reaper, right?" Naruto asked, shifting back to his Werefox form. "... Wait… Hold on!" He pulled out a scroll from his side bags and opened it. "... I've gotta go down there!" He said.

"W-Wait, why?!" Laharl shouted.

"Remember what I told you when we first met? I need to find an ability with control over souls!"

The group's eyes widened and they scurried off the cliff face.

"Hey, old dude! Wait up!" The former blonde said as he ran towards the Reaper with the others on his back and tails.

Skidding to a halt by the Reaper, he blinked at them… maybe and spoke.

"What do you wish for… Ah, did this one decide to go?" He asked, voice baritone but oddly kind as he looked at Kirke.

"... no, I'm not going anytime soon, sorry," she said, bowing once released from Naruto's tails.

"W-Wait, you're not?" Laharl asked with some guilty shock and Kirke smiled.

"I have so many things that need to be handled here. I'm not leaving anytime soon, my Liege."

"... Y-Yeah, well, good. I'm sure Naruto would get lonely not having more competent vassals around."

"... Wait, oi! What's that supposed to mean?!" Etna shouted and the boy snickered.

"Oh, nothing," he said, eyes shining brightly under the red moon. "Now, come on, we might be able to grab that Evility."

Naruto chuckled before turning to the patient Reaper. "Uh, thanks for waiting."

"I deal with my job thoroughly. Maybe 'performances' come through here."

"T-That so?" Naruto said with a sweatdrop. "Right, so, there are several things I need to know and/or ask from you. Do you have-"

"Evilities?" The spiritual-based demon asked and the fox nodded rapidly. "Yes… Two."

"... Do you have one that allows you control over souls?" Etna asked, hopefully.

Then the man nodded and she grinned.

"HELL YES!"

"I'm sorry, I know this is going to sound weird… but could I copy that Evility?" Naruto asked with a bow at the shocked Reaper. "Like, I know this sounds weird but we need it to help someone."

"How? These are new."

"Ya see…" Naruto explained all that he could, and thought, was helpful to explain.

"Both realms?" The spirit asked, observing Naruto for a bit as the fox teen nodded. "That story is hard to believe… but you can touch Evilities?"

"Yeah, it might actually be my fault that you've got those," Naruto said and he nodded in thought. "Is there something you need? Maybe you've been bothered by some demons?"

"Hmm… my work doesn't allow for such easy disruptions. I am level 3000," the group gaped at him and he chuckled. "Reaping gives good EXP… As for the skill. There is ONE soul who is to be cast away from both Celestia and the Netherworld," his eyes narrowed and the area grew colder than even the highest peak of Jotunheim. "SHE MUST DIE."

"... W-Who?" Naruto asked even as a shiver shot up his spine and down to his tail tips. 'Is this the level difference or… something else?'

He'd felt so shaken ever since he fought the Juubi.

"A magician," the man said as he waved his hand and handed the fox a large scroll. "A whore of the arts and magic and hexes."

Opening the rolled-up parchment, Naruto blinked at the person in the photo.

The woman before them had on a large conical witch hat that held a flame at the tip of it.

Her skin was as pale as a ghost's and her eyes had black sclera which held her bright silver eyes.

Wearing a long red dress that had detachable sleeves which had cuffs that came down to her knees, her feet were dragon-like while her hands couldn't be seen. Her hair was red and came down to cover her forehead.

With her rather invisible chest size, Naruto blinked.

"... This is a woman?" He asked before being smacked twice over by Etna and Flonne. "W-Wait! I'm sorry, I'm an idiot!" Naruto pleaded as the angel's eyes burned with fire while Etna's fingers did.

"You trying to start a fight?!"

"Nope!"

"Makoranta, a dark witch descended from the formerly infamous, Majorita of Old," the Reaper said. "Kill her and I shall deal with her soul, after which, my Evilities are yours."

"Thanks, Reaper-jiji," Naruto said with a thumbs-up as the old demon snorted. "Though, is the rest of her information down here?" He asked as he unfurled the scroll to see… "Oh, you've gotta be fucking me."

The group, as a whole, paled at the sight of her level.

3-3500?!

"Oh, fuck," Etna uttered in horror. "S-She's more powerful than Draconis?!"

"T-This is bad!" Flonne declared, as pale as a ghost.

"T-The hell's with these crazy characters?!" Laharl yelped in disbelief.

"T-That might be a bit much!" Clarissa said, ears limp as her eyes widened, pupils shrunken. "U-Um!"

"Of course, these tasks would be difficult," Kirke said before her eyes darkened. "And of course, it'd be fucking her," she hissed and the group, as one, jumped at the vitriol in the normally kind, polite, Prinny's voice.

"... Ah, yes, you," the Reaper said as Kirke grimaced, head down. "Still around?"

"Y-Yes, I am," Kirke said but the group blinked.

"Wait, nee-chan? You've met the Reaper before?" Naruto asked and Kirke frowned.

She looked down in thought for a bit before looking at Laharl and holding her flippers by her stomach before bowing to Laharl.

"I'm sorry… for so many things," she said to him, coming up to look him in the eyes and the boy blinked at her, stepping back. "... There are so many things I've wanted to tell you… well, I really got to speak with you about a lot but there are more, and more, and more that I want to speak with you, at length, about when your father is awake… Little Laharl."

And the demon prince hit his knees, eyes widening and trembling in shock as Naruto frowned.

"What?" He asked before turning to Etna and Clarissa… "You guys-"

"N-No… T-There's no way, right?!" Etna shouted in disbelief as the Reaper spoke.

"It seems you all didn't know," he said as Kirke sighed before nodding. "The soul before you is the wife of King Krichevskoy. Circe the Blessed."

The area was silent as the three who knew the woman's mouths fell as she bowed once more.

"I… I didn't want to open old wounds," the now-revealed Circe said with a grimace, head down. "A-And I wanted you to find the strength to move on without me! I might have-!"

The teary eyes of the boy before shut her up.

He was in her embrace in seconds, the Prinny crying almost as much as he was.

"I'm sorry, my son!"

Naruto's mouth closed up and he covered his mouth in thought before moving away from the truly heartbreaking scene before him with the Reaper. "I'm curious about something, Reaper-jii… Is there no way for her to remain here?"

"If she stays a Prinny then it will be indefinitely." The Reaper said and Naruto chuckled.

"I get that but I mean, like, can she be reincarnated with all her memories and stuff."

"... You're asking for something that I don't know the rules of," the man said as Naruto sighed. "But I believe my Evility might be capable of doing so."

The fox received a screen invite and he accepted.

{

Evility:

Near-Death Reaper: 50% chance to insta-kill enemies when weak

Soul Control: The ability to manipulate, lead, and control souls

}

Naruto's eyes widened before he grinned.

"Thanks, old man."

"I like my job like I like my soap operas, ending happily. If you can kill that woman, my life would be so much easier."

"I'm curious, why?" Naruto asked.

"Pride in the job, I suppose… but also any Reaper who can kill her will get my job. This job is the easiest I've ever had. Try being a Messenger Reaper, those guys got it rough," the guy said and Naruto's eyebrow rose.

"Like, I believe you… but that's so weird," he said in total confusion. "What do they send?"

"Death Threats."

"... Ah."

"N-Naruto! This is amazing news!" Flonne cheered with a grin. "Laharl's got all of you back! There can't be better news than this!"

"It is rather outstanding," Clarissa said with a wide smile. "Our Prince, I'm glad he can still have his family back again."

"Hmph… Well, yeah, I guess I am, too," Etna admitted with a blush as Naruto chuckled. "Shut it, foxy!"

"I'm just saying, I'm glad you care," Naruto said with a smirk. "Now, I've actually got more news!" He announced loudly so Laharl could hear him.

"Snff, y-yeah, what?" He asked, hiding behind his mother as he wiped away his tears. "You got it for cheap?"

"No… but it might be even better," Naruto said with a chuckle. "If we can get this Evility, we could give her a human form," he declared with a grin as Laharl, and Circe's, eyes widened.

"... Hahahahahaha! MUAHAHAHAHAAH!" Laharl's laughed riddled the landscape and reached even those in the earlier levels. "THEN WE SHALL!" He declared and the Reaper's eyes widened at the feeling in his bones.

The power in the boy's breath, the throbbing of his very soul.

'The boy… He'll become something greater than we could possibly imagine,' he realized in shock as that feeling died down. 'This soul being nurtured will create a being greater than any Majin.'

That would be an AMAZING thing to see!

"Heh, so we got MORE out of this than we ever expected," Etna said even as her mind whirled from the… force of Laharl's voice. 'W-What the hell was that?' That hadn't been shouting… it'd been weird to feel but… Oh shit.

That'd been a declaration of his virtues and path, wasn't it? This feeling of energy in her veins?

"Hmph, as always, this is your fault, somehow, isn't it?" Etna said to Naruto who chuckled.

Flonne, meanwhile, blushed bright red at Laharl's conviction and his happiness.

'It's so bright,' the 'brightness' being something that she'd learned to see a long time ago when she was younger. 'It's like the world around him became kinder as he did.'

This was one of the reasons that she'd known there was goodness in even demons' hearts.

Laharl's was always there, she just knew it needed work and it showed!

Naruto's, meanwhile, had always been so grand and obvious. It glowed gold and filtered out to the world and the people around him… but Etna's always struck her as odd.

The demon girl's 'brightness' was always shining, weirdly enough, and was decently large, reaching out to the ground beneath their feet… so why was she always so irritable? Pained? Or, really, just jealous?

It was a weird emotion Flonne didn't fully understand… but it was also weird to think that her soul was growing still!

She giggled a bit as she watched the redhead say something to the blonde.

Their brightness pulsing near one another… while Clarissa's did the same as Naruto's came near.

It was always so enlightening watching them grow their love!

"So, our next move is to get stronger… basically," Circe said with a long breath of relief that she hadn't known… she didn't think she'd feel this good about him knowing. "... But, the way things are going… what's the best way to do that?"

"... The Item World, I guess," Laharl said with a hum. "The thing is… the vassals are helping us mow through several weapons, at the moment. The thing is, we have to get those new classes, too! The vassels' training, the whole subclasses deal, Overloads, we've got so many things to do and now we have to fight this tramp who might very well be too strong for us, for a while."

"Yes, she is a tramp, don't say otherwise," Circe said seriously and Laharl's eyebrow rose.

"You know her… m-mom?"

"... Yes, as unfortunate as it is, I do know her," Circe said with some pride and distaste. "You see, she's the one who originally taught me magic."

"Really?" Flonne asked before grimacing. "To fight your master! That must be-"

"I want her to eat dirt," Circe said outright and the group blinked at that. "I want to see that woman grovel."

"I'm liking the energy… but, uh, what's the dealio?" Laharl asked.

"Hmph… before your father and I were together… honey, let me tell you how many of her damn traps and undead I had to deal with," Circe said and the group groaned in unison. "I'm sorry but, to be fair, her undead are actual undead," she explained and the group looked confused. "For example, if Etna was under her thrall, she'd still look like Etna but her color palette would change."

"Ew!" The redhead gagged at the idea. "Who changes another demon's color palette without asking?!"

"A sicko," the Prinny agreed. "The fact remains, that we have the advantage of knowing our target… and her methods to keeping her title as the Strongest Magician."

"Wait, more methods?" Naruto asked and Kirke nodded.

"The crazy thing is, I remember that she always enveloped her Skill Shop with spells for some reason. Now I know why. She knows about Netherworld Updates!"

"Wait, that's… well, to be fair, we'd have done that too if we could," Clarissa tried to say something bad about it but came up with zilch.

"So, wait, what was this shop you spoke about?" Naruto asked and Circe grinned.

"It's a little bit more than just the shops. The thing is, she had the Cooking Station, a food-based stall that gave buff. And… unfortunate as it may be, she could probably find a way to make an Abilities Shop, possibly. In the time we need to get to her level, that'd be what'd we have to contend and maybe repurpose for ourselves," the red Prinny said with a flipper rubbing her chin.

"Still, how the hell do we even get to her level?" Etna wondered and Circe considered it.

"... We're going to need more Mana," she said after some thought. "Right now, I do have an idea… but we're going to need a LOT of Mana, as I said before. Right now, we're thinking too simply. If we want to power-level, we'd have to do several things. If we can get all the new items in the Bills, we might very well find something useful… but, ignoring that… then we need to get to the Land of Carnage."

"So, shouldn't we get Sardia to do that?" Flonne asked but Circe chuckled.

"That girl has no idea what she's doing, trust me."

"Not surprised there," Etna said as Clarissa nodded. "So, we need to get tons of Mana. So, we'll have to kill a LOT in the Item Sea."

"Actually, about that," Naruto said with a chuckle as he sent the group his screen. "Look at all the Mana I got."

The group did see it. "Holy shit, when did you have 50,000?!" Laharl choked. "... Oh, wait, right, clones."

"Yup, with the amount I sent out, I got a good amount of EXP, items, and cash."

"Yup, that's a good-looking amount of HL," Circe said with a smile. "So, let's put things into perspective, shall we?"

"Right now, it's been… what, almost three months since Naruto returned?" Laharl said with a frown. "If this angel buddy of yours could say that, we have a year and nine months left!"

"Currently, Naruto has his Human and Angel Elements for the seal," Flonne added.

"The whole Netherworld is going to end up with updated screens having all that new shit," Etna said.

"Among those things, we have Naruto's Mana to use to purchase them. We have to not only figure those out but also make use of the new Item Sea," Circe said.

"And now we know the target for our next Evility, right?" Clarissa said. "In that same vein, we still need to find a demon who can freely control demonic energy."

"Hey, Reaper-jii, you know someone like that?" Naruto asked and the Reaper hummed.

"... I believe the only ones who'd be able to do that are… Majins, most likely," he said and the group blinked as Circe groaned. "Hmph, so you know of them."

"Yes… I do," the red Prinny said with a grunt. "A Majin is basically the final form of a demon who's learned every art known to the Netherworld," she said and the group grimaced. "Yes, they are that rare. Hell, the last one I read about died 5000 years ago!"

"Well, that's not encouraging," Clarissa said. "Even then, you say they become Majin, that doesn't mean they'll have the right Evility."

"No, you don't understand what it means to become a Majin," the Reaper said and the group blinked. "To become a Majin means to master ALL principles, ALL skills in every category. They gain power that allows them all abilities in every Class."

"... then they'd definitely have the Evility," Laharl said with a frown. "Still, that's troublesome."

"Hmm… maybe," Circe said while the others looked at her. "What if we found someone who was close and promised them something in exchange for them gaining all the classes?"

"Well, that'd work but wouldn't there need to be such a demon?" Flonne asked and the Prinny nodded.

"It's the easier option, at least. Hell, maybe, Makoranta has it. She is the Strongest Magician."

"Well, we'll have to get stronger as is, maybe we'll find one in that time?" Naruto suggested and the group nodded. "Alright, sorry for taking up your time, Reaper-jiji."

"Hmph, it's fine, I got to witness interesting things. This is easily up there with my soaps," the man said with a chuckle.

"Gotcha."

~NRK~

Returning to the castle, the group let out breaths of relief.

"Well, today went… kind of weird," Naruto said, back in Prinny form. "Like, man talk about shock after shock."

"But we got good stuff out of it," Laharl said with a small blush as Circe smiled. "Y-Yeah, I think we got a good amount of things out of this."

"Oh, definitely."

"Hmm, it's morning, isn't it?" Clarissa said as she yawned. "Returning to our quarters seems wise."

"Yyuuuuup~," Flonne said but her yawn happened in the middle of it. "Hmm… smck, smck, I'm tired," then her stomach growled. "And hungry."

Naruto chuckled. "Then let's eat before going to bed, yeah?" He suggested and the group nodded.

This day had been something else.

~NRK~

That's a wrap for us and Episode 8 of the games.

Yeah, some people may be confused by Laharl's attitude during this event but Flonne basically explains it.

He's learning to let go, kind of. He's almost never been there for when the deaths actually take place, not consciously. Every member of his family has 'died' once already and that's not something a boy goes through without changing a LOT.

Still, with Naruto's death being the latest and all the things he's learned from our favored knucklehead. The heat WAS there but it cooled too quickly for his liking, leaving him cold, tired, and alone again.

Sometimes, it's really messed up what you consider Laharl goes through for his 'age'. He's lost both his parents and wasn't even there to see them, as far as I know, die. He then goes into a long sleep, clearly depressed, and when he wakes up is to one of his vassals, one of the few left, shooting him.

Add on that his castle is MORE empty than more than ever and it becomes clear that he's not mentally okay during the games. It's only during Episode 8 that he gains some closure even if I think his mom was really selfish.

Here, that's all been bypassed via previous learned lessons, memories, and experiences he's had with Naruto who even came back, in the end. Add on, Naruto's done so many things for him and he's becoming more conscious of his decisions and how lasting they might really be.

Also, we have the next target along with more new information for the Dark Assembly. Kirke gets more background here and we'll be venturing into a whole new adventure next chapter.

Oh, and Naruto and Etna bond over memories, ideas, and a horse weiner in misery. Talk about romance.

Ciao.

Words: 10.7k+

~NRK Out~